Product Design and Entrepreneurship

The discipline of engineering is great at explaining how to make something, given a solution. Sometimes it has thoughts on what to make given a problem. Unfortunately, engineering is often silent on why something should be made, and how to determine whether a solution to a problem is appropriate. In the end, none of the engineering work matters if the end result doesn't solve the real needs and wants of the intended audience; this is the realm of design. But even good design doesn't matter if the result cannot be effectively marketed, distributed, and scaled; this is the realm of entrepreneurship. Only by combining engineering, design, and entrepreneurship can real change be made.

Below is a selection of my experiences relevant to product design and entrepreneurship:

• Rickshaw Dispatch Service: A service which increases the income of rickshaw pullers in Assam, India, by increasing their value of service to customers with faster door-to-door transportation.
• SafeZone App: A mobile phone application that allows women to protect themselves and others when in potentially unsafe or unfamiliar locations.
• Integrated Tees: A short-term nerdy T-shirt company earning over $500 profit in 2 weeks.
• Materials Consulting for Preserve Products: Evaluation of the use of a calcium carbonate filler in Preserve Products' Everyday Plate product made from recycled polypropylene.